Before leaving the subject of injuries to employees caused by the
carelessness of other employees, I want to mention some motor and
hand car accidents and injuries to section men caused by the use of
defective cars, by fast running, overloading, and by failure to comply
with the rules. Why men on motor cars and hand cars coming in from
work want to run faster than is safe (they never do it on the way
out), why they should overload, use defective cars, run closer
together than 300 feet, be out after dark without a light, leave their
cars on the highways to obstruct the same and frighten horses,
contrary to Rules 46, 47, and 48, we may perhaps guess. And yet we can
see no good reason for failure to comply with the rules which are made
for their own protection, as well as that of the company, and if more
careful instructions were given them by the roadmasters and more
supervision exercised, many of the accidents mentioned below would not
have happened. And on account of the class of men now employed on the
track, such instruction and supervision is more necessary than ever,
as the records show that we have many more such cases in proportion to
the mileage and business than we did a few years ago.
G. Botticelli, laborer, injured March 23, south of Yerkesville,
was riding on the front end of hand car, which was being followed
by another hand car; section foreman signaled to the rear car not
to come too close to first car, signal was not heeded and the
second car ran into the first, derailing it.
H. P. Dennis, laborer, injured May 28, west of Orion; caused by
the handle of a hand car breaking.
N. R. Forbes, injured near Larkin, June 24, with four other men,
was riding on a hand car going home from work. While going down
grade, trying to get to station before train pulled out, car
jumped track, all the men were thrown off, and Forbes injured.
In passing over highway crossings, especially in cities and in running
past stations, hand and motor cars should be so run that the man in
charge could stop the car in its own length.